From Club President Ray:
Rich Completes Radiation & Chemo Treatment
Thanks a million to everyone for all your kindness, prayers, emails, cards, & gifts. We couldn’t have gotten through this without you. We are so very blessed to have such wonderful friends.
Let the healing begin…….
Love and hugs,
Rich and Tricia

Half Wit Half Recap
Ron Horn starts his intro to this ridiculous race with “Because A Mind is a Terrible Thing…” seven club members formed our USATF team for this trail race near Reading, PA. Only 2 had run it before. As you recall, Sunday morning in Wilmington was heavy rain & t-storms. Luckily, rain held off for much of the race, but 13.1 miles of hills, slippery rocks, roots, downed trees, and branches allowed only 30 of 368 to finish in under 2 hours.

Five of us earned age-group awards, including Enos Benbow who placed 3rd overall (1st in age group) in a very impressive 1:37:15. Fred, Sheri, Carole, and the amazing John Schultz also grabbed awards, while Andrea Rubinoff & I were just happy to finish without any broken bones. Lots of single file walking up hills. Lots of skidding out of control on steep downhills. Fred says he was stung by three bees. No one who’s run this course could forget the “128 Steps from Hell” to burn up your quads climbing a mountainside. My time was a blistering 2:20. Pretty humbling.
See some photos at our Facebook Group: www.tinyurl.com/pcvrc
As a team, PCVRC place third in the event and holds third in the series.

Name – – – – – Time Age Grade Total – top five
Enos Benbow Georgetwon DE M 29 25 1:37:15 60.82 262.46
Fred Shufflebarger Unionville PA M 63 25 2:13:55 56.18
Carole Feole Wilmington DE F 53 25 2:31:23 51.11
Ray Christensen Wilmington DE M 49 25 2:19:59 47.37
Sheri Herrmann Wilmington DE F 41 25 2:25:34 46.98
Andrea Rubinoff Bear DE F 5625 3:09:15 42.52
John Schultz Wilmington DE M 79 25 4:13:18 36.74

David Baca: Gearing up for a Boston Qualifying attempt
In the results below I note that David Baca took first place in the 50-54 age group in what I believe to be his PR so far for 5K. To put this in perspective, this time last year David was just getting back into running and ran a 25:33 5K time. Now he is almost five minutes faster. I should note that he ran 13 miles the day before the race. He has been putting in 50+ mile weeks and will be attempting a Boston Qualifying run at the Lehigh River Valley Marathon on September 11.

Theresa Kauffman raced the Amica 19.7 Triathalon in Boston yesterday and placed third in her age-group. Her time was 1:44:31. It’s been a goal of hers to finish a triathlon since she broke her arm falling of a bike two years ago while training for one.

From club member Ryan German:
We are very excited to let you know that this year’s third Annual Caffe Gelato Ten Mile Waffle Cone Run will be held on Sunday October 23, 2011 at 9:00am.
Online registration is available at: https://register.races2run.com/Register/?event=5910

All runners will receive a dry-release Delaware Running Company long sleeve shirt, post-race brunch, and a waffle cone of gelato. The course is a flat course starting on Main St in Newark, Delaware, running along the White Clay Creek to the Pennsylvania state line and back. The top three runners in each age-group will receive a $25 gift certificate to a Delaware restaurant. In addition, any runner who runs a PR will receive a $25 gift certificate to Caffe Gelato.
We hope to see you on October 23!
Editorial comment: Wish I could be there, but I’ve got a marathon scheduled that day. It’s a deep group of good prizes. If you’ve never run a ten miler before, then if you finish, you’ve run a PR, automatically getting you a gift certificate to Caffe Gelato.

Mccorq’s Fun Run is coming soon!
So it’s time to actually post all the information right here:

McCorq’s Friendly Fun Run 5K Handicap Challenge
2011-09-01 Thurs Sept 1: 6pm check-in
Location: 1235 Ipswich Dr. Sherwood Park II

The McCorquodales and Pike Creek Valley Running Club are inviting all club members to participate in the 9th Annual McCorq’s Friendly Fun Run 5K Handicap Challenge(on a wheel-measured 5K course) on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 1235 Ipswich Dr. Sherwood Park II. Start your Labor Day weekend with a race!

Three important items:
1. Non-club members are definitely welcome, but we ask $10 contribution to help offset club expenses.
2. There is always a good number of prizes; if anyone wants to contribute prizes, such as regifting items won at a race (not shirts), please contact me.
3. If you or a family member can’t run, but want to participate, we always have the need for volunteers, such as course marshalls.

Show up to sign in by 6:00 p.m. We will need to know the best 5K time you have run in the past year. Be prompt so that you can warm up before the 6:30 p.m. race; this will give us time to use your race times to set the order of runners.

This run will start near the our house, go up through the development of Sherwood Park II to Delcastle Recreation Center for one loop around and return to finish back at the startline. It will be a handicapped start, based on your 5K best time. The slowest runner will go first, then the next slowest, and so on to the fastest. In theory, everyone could cross the finish line at the same time. In actuality, someone has probably improved his or her running enough in the past year to be the winner. But if enough people donate prizes, even gag gifts, you soon learn why EVERYONE IS A WINNER at this event.

No cheating, please! This is for fun! Find out your best 5K time before you come. You can e-mail me in advance with the time at .

Afterward, we will gather in my house for food and beverages. If there are any requests, including a particular kind of diet soda, or dietary restrictions, let me know. The race will start near our house. We have gotten permission to use the parking lot of a law firm located directly in back of our house. This address is 1211 Milltown Road. Here is a Mapquest location for this address: See map for parking
(Ignore the fact that it says 1251 in the Mapquest info; that merely put the location where 1211 actually is.) Out of courtesy to the tenants of this building, no one park there before 5:00 p.m. and no double parking in case people are working late.

There will be a sign directing you into the parking lot and additional signs directing you to our back gate. If the lot is full, go around the block in either direction(see map and park on Ipswich Dr.) Our house(1235) is located on the south side about 100 feet west of Fountain Ct.

You may want to bring a towel. We have an outdoor hose to wash the sweat off.

RSVP is encouraged (not necessary) for current club members, but those who definitely know they are coming and already know what their best 5K of the past year is can e-mail it to me so I can get a start on the handicapping.

Race Results:
Half-Wit Half-Marathon (USATF results posted next week)
1:37:15 Enos benbow, 1st 20-29, 3rd Overall
2:13:55 Fred Shufflebarger, 1st 60-69
2:19:59 Ray Christensen
2:25:34 Sheri Herrmann, 3rd 40-49
2:31:23 Carole Feole
3:09:15 Andrea Rubinoff
4:13:18 John Schultz, 1st 70+

Delaware KIDS Fund 5K
16:57 Pat Boettcher, 3rd Overall

Outlet Liquors 5K
16:00 Mark Vilardo, Overall Winner
18:17 Matt Cutrona, 1st Master

Pace for Prevention 5K
18:05 Matt Cutrona, 2nd Overall, 1st Master
20:46 David Baca, 1st 50-54, PR
This race is uniquely distinguished by the fact that five of the first fifty finishers were men 65-69. Bruce Hubbard was second in the AG with his best time of the year of 24:46. This writer was fifth in this group.

Highway One Group 10K
33:22 Mark Vilardo, Overall Winner

Highway One Group 5K
22:42 Sheri Herrmann, 1st Female Master

Dewey Beach Lions Club 5K
16:20 Mark Vilardo, Overall Winner

News from Club President Ray:
5k Run/Walk for KIDS is Saturday 8/6 8:30am
Since the front of their race brochure features a couple club members and an original club member – and they may become a club sponsor, we just wanted to promote the race this Saturday. It’s at a unique location in Newport (begins & ends at James Street Tavern, if that’s any motivation). The Delaware KIDS (Kids In Distressed Situations) Fund is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing goods and services to children at risk and in distressed situations. Race info is found at http://www.dekidsfund.com

Support the Rebel Riders
Several PCVRC members are participating in Bike to the Bay for the first time this September. As many of you are aware, this long bike ride raises money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society; a very worthy cause. Our runners have formed a team, called Rebel Riders. We also have some team members who are seasoned participants in this event. Our first team fundraising event is being held on August 10 at Iron Hill Brewery, On Main St in Newark. Simply come in and dine at Iron Hill that evening (it is a Wednesday), present a coupon (attached) to your server, and 20% of your check cost, excluding alcohol, will be donated to our team. For more information about Bike to the Bay please see http://bikeded.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_DED_homepage and to view the menu at Iron Hill see www.ironhillbrewery.com/newark
We look forward to seeing many fellow runners and riders at Iron Hill!
Claire

DDC or PCVRC Logo Jacket
One of our additions to Delaware Distance Classic 15k is to make a race jacket available as part of registration.
It’s available in Black from New Balance with your choice of DDC Race Logo or PCVRC Club Logo embroidered on front.
Lightweight, moisture-wicking, and breathable, the Gazelle Jacket is seriously versatile. Whether you’re running a mile or twenty, this reflective jacket is your friend; a music-friendly chest pocket features an exit port for wired devices, so awkward armbands or irritating wire tugging can be a thing of the past.

See photos and more info at http://www.pcvrc.com/ddc.php and to register for the race.
The jacket will also be available to order on race day.

Contact Ray with Club Questions/Suggestions
We’d like to see more club members attending our events or getting involved in coordinating them. If your schedule hasn’t permitted you to meet other members, please contact Ray to see if we can make it more convenient…and also to get your club tech shirt if you’ve not received it! We want to make the club more worthwhile to all of us and to offer activities that help you reach your goals. McCorq’s 5K would be a great event to attend, so let him know if you can make it. Or contact Ray at or 302-633-1482.

McCorq’s Fun Run
Speaking of McCorq’s Fun Run, which will be Thursday, Sept. 1, complete information is available here: http://www.pcvrc.com/eventlistitem.php?id=13.
Here will be printed out in the next E-Bulletin.

Michael Wardian
Some of you may be familiar with the running exploits of Michael Wardian, who has twice set a new Delaware state record for the marathon. Check the story on the frontpage of Marathonguide.com entitled Two Weeks in the Life of Michael Wardian: http://www.marathonguide.com/index.cfm?SRED=1&. BTW, he does all these incredible feats and is a vegetarian. Wardian recently set a new marathon PR of 2:17:49. The Delaware state record he set in May was 2:25:11, 7:22 slower, which tells you how much tougher the new Delaware Marathon course is compared to a fast, relatively flat course.

Race Results:
Kind to Kids 5K:
18:34 Matt Cutrona, 2nd Overall

North Beach 5K:
15:47 Mark Vilardo, Overall winner
18:06 Greg Cauller, 1st Master
19:46 Lynn Knothe, 3rd Overall female

Larry the Barber 5K:
15:51 Dan Suher, Overall winner

News from Club President Ray:
Josh is an Ironman
Congratulations to Josh Loren for completing the Ford Ironman Lake Placid on Sunday 7/24. While many of us were complaining about the heat for our 3 or 5 or 10 mile runs, Josh swam 2.4 mi. and biked 112 mi. before his 26.2 mi. run in upstate NY. In his first Ironman, he placed 53 of 256 in his age group!

Place (all, male, div) / swim / bike / run / total

Loren, Joshua 200/73/53 31/M30-34 01:29:26 05:32:41 03:51:40 11:07:43

Dar’s Triathlon PR
Darlise DiMatteo set a PR at NJ State Olympic Tri-2:54. Her Facebook post: “Woohoo! Trust me, 90+ degrees during the bike and run sure didn’t feel any cooler.”

Official Delaware Distance Classic Logo
The DDC Race Committee and club board has approved a new logo for our Oct 9 15K race. It can be viewed at www.pcvrc.com/ddc.php and will be used on the race T-shirt and also a New Balance running jacket soon to be offered as a premium item during race registration. Thanks to Penny Peterson for designing it.

Registration is now open for DDC. Download & mail the form or you may register online directly on our website.

Wilkinson Roofing & Siding becomes Presenting Sponsor for DDC
The club thanks Rachel Bleacher and her father’s company for stepping up to sponsor Delaware Distance Classic 15K and PCVRC. Wilkinson Roofing also supplied tables & chairs to the recent club BBQ!

We also appreciate the support of these businesses:
New Balance Brandywine & Christiana (club member Jamie Graham)
Foot Care Group
Harvest Market Natural Foods (club member Bob Kleszics)
Cheskin Chiropractic
Access Labor Service (club member Rich Szymanski)
Caffe Gelato (club member Ryan German)

See the “Sponsor” page of www.pcvrc.com or click their logo for more information. The generosity of these companies will allow us to have a better DDC event, improve club activities and make a more significant donation to the Mike Clark Legacy Fund (supporter of Boys & Girls Club). New sponsors are always welcome!

PCVRC in News Journal
This article appeared in this Wednesday’s News Journal.

As someone who started his adventures in journalism as chief headline writer for my high school paper, I must say the headline is confusing and inaccurate. But, as the old saying goes, “any publicity is good publicity”.

View Club BBQ Photos
See photos of the recent club BBQ on our Photos page (under “About”), taken by Kim & Ray.

Fun Run at Carpenter State Park
Club social events seem to be happening with more regularity these days. Fast on the heels of the summer barbecue the previous Saturday, about thirty club members and friends gathered on Wednesday evening for a fun run through the trails and fields before relaxing with pizza and rehydration fluids with listening to the sounds of a country rock band playing from the stage on the other side of the parking lot. Going off with an air temperature above 90, the shade helped the runners negotiate the roughly 5K loop. Some opted to walk while one club member run the course twice. The club thanks Tom and Paula Jermyn for conceiving the idea and hosting the event.

Next officially scheduled event: McCorq’s Fun Run on Thursday, Sept. 1. For details, go to: http://www.pcvrc.com/eventlistitem.php?id=13

I unexpectedly found this article on a website which rarely mentions sports. What a unique event – literally running a race on the floor of the Bay of Fundy! The pictures show that it’s more like a mud run than a road race.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Not-Since-Moses-Race-A-by-Joan-Brunwasser-110724-624.html

Music and 5K at White Clay Creek
2011-07-20 Wednesday 6:00pm

Location: White Clay State Park

Join us for a 5k Fun Run at White Clay State Park followed by music in the park hosted by Tom and Paula Jermyn.

Directions: 880 New London Rd, Newark.. which is actually 896 just outside of Newark heading to PA. We are meeting at Carpenter Park in the grove area- not the pavillion

The Race will start at 6:00pm and be followed by music in the park starting at 6:30pm.
Pizza, salad and water/gatorade will be provided by the Jermyn’s.
If you are planning on staying to enjoy the music please bring a lawn chair or blanket.

There is a fee to park at White Clay. For more information regarding this send questions to

Editor’s comment: I for one have been very cognizant of the heat while running in the evening. It is projected to be 90 degrees or higher by 6:00 tomorrow evening. So no one should feel that they HAVE to run. You can always come out, perhaps take an easy walk while others are running, and still enjoy the food and music.

The last week slow running news-wise, so it was the first time in a long time that I skipped a bulletin for a week.

A note of condolence on behalf of PCVRC was sent to Doug White, a former president of Pike Creek Valley Running Club, on the passing of his mother.

BBQ Recap
The club thanks Rachel Bleacher for hosting the annual picnic last Saturday. Well over 30 people attended. Club secretary Jerry Herman is to be commended for dutifully handling the grilling chores.

McCorq’s Friendly 5K Fun Run will be the next club event after tomorrow. It will be on Thursday, September 1, to help you kick off the Labor Day weekend. To those unfamiliar with the event, it’s a handicapped run based on your best 5K time in the last year. My motto is everyone is a winner. If you have prizes to donate, contact me. In a later bulletin the full instructions will be printed. Meanwhile they can be viewed here:

http://www.pcvrc.com/eventlistitem.php?id=13. Any questions, after reading the info, may be sent to .

Merrell Down and Dirty Mud Run, Philadelphia
— From Dirk Sweigart:

This may be the most fun I ever had doing a 5K (which was good since the Double Trouble 15K Trail Run the week before may have been the least fun I’ve had in a long time!) The whole environment of mud, sun, racing and music was just terrific. There was a 10K at 7 AM (which I will try to do next year). The 5K runners started at 8:15 in self-seeded wave starts that were totally not crowded and worked really well. I went in the 3rd corral. I had watched some of the 10K runners finish in the mud pit so I knew a little of what was coming.

The race starts pretty easily with a long running portion, quick uphill then long downhill with only one crawl under some netting. No problem and I was hitting a pretty good stride. Weather was perfect – sunny and not too humid. We covered a good distance with only a climb up a ladder wall and a quick hop over a chest high barrier. There were some tunnels that were out of commission, so we skipped them. But then the fun stuff started!

I don’t remember the exact order – there was some cargo netting to go up, but then came the first mud pit. Well, I flopped into that and crawled through, but getting under the last rope, I stuck my head in the mud and staggered out of the pit almost totally unable to see with mud in my hair and eyes. I gained 3-4 pounds of weight in my socks too…and immediately started up a steep grade. Now I was passing walkers from the 10K. That made me feel good. Plus I was able to get the mud out of my eyes.

A few more hills and then I came down to the finish. There was a sloped platform with a knotted rope that went by quickly and I ducked under the netting to splash into the final long mud pit (in front of hundreds of people, of course). I lost some time there. crawling, it was hard on the knees. Not sure how I can practice to get any better at this! But I went over the final mud hill and slid down towards the finish. I literally could not see due to mud in my eyes when I went across the finish line. They handed me a water bottle and I poured it on my face – and it did almost no good at all. I was done but perhaps not recognizable as everyone around me looked like similar brown zombies.

It took a while to hose all the mud off (and out of my hair, eyes and ears). With the hundreds of other people – that was actually a lot of fun. There was a place to change your clothes (liked their bag check) and I got my Subaru burger (they should stick to cars!) Then I went and listened to the concert for a while. New clean people kept starting the race and unrecognizable mud slugs kept coming in for the finish.

There were a few other Pike Creekers there and I’ll let someone else report their times because we had some awards. My time was never reported but I know about what it was and I was quite pleased. I might have been in the running for an age place if it had been. But I don’t really care – I am going back next year for the 10K! Just have to figure out how to get through those pits better – or not!

Race Results:
Delaware Hospice Anniversary 5K
23:07 Theresa Kauffman, 2nd overall female and first female master

Catherine Rooney’s 5K for Ulster Project
16:16 Dan Suher, Overall Winner
18:02 Greg Cauller, 4th overall and first master
20:14 Lynn Knothe

Kelly Fritchman Memorial 5K
17:33 Greg Cauller, Overall Winner
19:25 Lynn Knothe, Overall female Winner

Dewey Beach Liquors at the Cork 5K
15:59 Mark Vilardo, Overall Winner
17:49 Greg Cauller, 2nd male master
19:37 Lynn Knothe, second overall female

Editor’s occasional note about race results: I generally try to print all club member results from races which are 15K or longer or all club member results from races which are part of the MA-USATF series, regardless of the length of race. But there are too many 5Ks, 5 milers and 10Ks to be printing the results of all club members for these events. Club results from those races are generally limited to some top overall club finishers. However, any result, which is important to a club member for some particular reason, will be printed if you send it to me.

From the President:
Crab Feast & Crabowitz 5K Fun Run
Rich & Trish Szymanski hosted their 3rd annual fun run which was a monster success. Almost 30 participated in the run while close to 50 enjoyed pizza and crabs as the sun set on a gorgeous afternoon. See link to lots of photos (taken by Kim) at http://www.pcvrc.com/photos.php

Rich kicked things off with a quick welcome to everyone before we started the run just after 6pm. Even through his treatments, he stayed energized from set-up through clean-up to ensure that everyone had a great time. Trish reported that the Cancer funds donation can collected over $1,000. Their neighbors chipped in by allowing use of their driveway due to the huge turnout. The run was just as hilly as ever, although I think it had been shortened to make us all feel a few steps faster. Thanks again to our wonderful hosts and to all who attended!

DDC 15K Committee Progress
10 members took part in our 2nd Delaware Distance Classic planning meeting on Monday. We’re targeting 7/15 as our “announcement date” for the event, to begin marketing for participants. Please mark 10/9 on your calendar to either run or to volunteer.

Volunteers Needed for Delaware Distance Classic 15K
Volunteers will be needed for the DDC 15K on Sunday, October 9th. Jim Steele will be coordinating all volunteer efforts. We will need help with registration, course marshals, traffic, water stops, finish line and food tables. Please email Jim at to volunteer! We’re looking for about 20 club members to help out. Thanks for your support!

Annual Pike Creek Summer BBQ
2011-07-16 Saturday 2:00 pm

Note: Rachel requests that people, who had previously e-mailed her about attending the picnic, send her another notice.
Location: 2421 W. Parris Drive – Cedar Crest

Join us for our Annual Summer BBQ hosted by Rachel Bleacher. All members and their families are invited to join us for good food and friends. As always the club will be providing the hot dogs and hamburger and beer. All you need to bring is your favorite side dish to share.

Please RSVP by July 10th so that we can make sure that we have an adequate amount of food for everyone.

Hope to see you there!

Contact: Rachel Bleacher – Events Coordinator

Email:

Birthday Party for Becky Yencharis: Sunday, July 17, celebrating Becky’s 94th birthday. The location is Domaine Hudson on Washington St. in Wilmington. Call Ralph McKinney for details at 652-8323.

Music and 5K at White Clay Creek
2011-07-20 Wednesday 6:00pm
Location: White Clay State Park

Join us for a 5k Fun Run at White Clay State Park followed by music in the park hosted by Tom and Paula Jermyn.

The Race will start at 6:00pm and be followed by music in the park starting at 6:30pm.
Pizza, salad and water/gatorade will be provided by the Jermyn’s.
If you are planning on staying to enjoy the music please bring a lawn chair or blanket.

There is a fee to park at White Clay. For more information regarding this send questions to

Cross Country Series continues:

Ralph McKinney reports that attendance is up at the Howard M. Laws Summer Cross Country Series, which occurs on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at Bellevue State Park north of Wilmington. The 5K series has three more dates 7/22, 8/2 and 8/16 at $5 per race.

Race Results:

FireCracker 5K
17:22 Jay Coughenour, Overall Winner
17:43 Greg Cauller, 2nd Overall, 1st Master
17:54 Tom Steenkamer, 4th Overall
20:00 Lynn Knothe, Overall Female winner

Rusty Rudder 5K
16:03 Mark Vilardo, 2nd Overall

It’s notable that the first and second overall females in this event were 50 and 49 and ran 19:43 and 20:09 respectively.